“Tar/Lower” - Fear of Falling Asleep Extended Singles Review

By Zoe JacquatWith breathy vocals and sampling that makes you listen twice, music created by the English band Tender has a distinct signature that stands out from the rest of the indie/electronic scene.Around 2015 the duo began making their own EP’s and music. They were eventually signed to Partisan Records in 2016. The group consists of James Cullen and Dan Cobb. Their first album Modern Addiction, was released in 2017. Their song “Nadir”, has over 11 million streams on Spotify, and was featured on the Netflix hit movie To All The Boys I Loved Before.On the 19th of January, the duo released their second full length album Fear of Falling Asleep. The album consisted of 10 songs written and produced by Daniel Cobb, Gianluca Buccellati, and James Cullen. All the songs are cohesive in terms of sound and lyrics, which makes it extremely easy to listen to in one sitting.In the spring following the release of Fear of Falling Asleep, Tender began to drop hints at new music on their social media platforms. On May, 31st they released the songs “Tar” and “Lower” together. The songs are intended to be listened to along side the sophomore album but stand just as well on their own.The first song “Tar” starts off slowly with sitar-esque strings and a slow drum beat. As the song progresses the intensity builds to a pulsing high pitched sound coupled with a low beat. Although the vocals give the song a certain lightness, in contrast with the heavy lyrics. For example, the chorus: I’m waiting for sewers to sit and wait/I am watching for that self-owned and decay/But I can't hide you/But the dark/it comes true. The chorus finishes with: I'm collecting those who dare refuse to sleep/Those who pretended life is cheap/Many, for a few/It’s not all about you. The theme of thoughts before sleep, and being in an almost dreamlike state is something consistently found in “Lower” as well as the rest of Fear of Falling Asleep. After the song reaches its peak, it slows gradually to a faint, distorted end.If one were to listen to the songs back to back, “Lower” provides a noticeable contrast. It has a rather upbeat thumping intro- think 80’s action movie. The song holds resemblance to the tempo of an upbeat pop song but contains more depth in instrumentals and lyrics.Unlike traditional songs about relationships, “Lower” provides the listener with a series of descriptive fragments and questions, leaving the rest up to the imagination. The pre chorus showcases this: Lower than I thought we'd go/Multicoloured truth I show/Why's the guilt spread so slow?/Get it out of me. Questions are posed as the singer attempts to answer: Are you happy with the choice you made?/Cut your hair and paint your face/Take your secrets to the grave/Can't get it out of me.As the song’s instrumental outro signals the end, listeners are left with questions to interpret and lyrics to piece together in order to form an individual meaning.The addition of “Tar/ Lower”, adds depth and dimension to Tender’s second full length album. The fact that the two songs were released as a pair highlights their incredible craftsmanship, making it a notable bonus to Fear of Falling Asleep.